our little secret
by runandhides
Summary: everyone already thinks Lucas and Maya are together, so pretending to be in a relationship shouldn't be too hard, right? fake date au.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi! So I wanted to thank everyone who has been so supportive and nice about the 'i love you a latte' stories. It was my first attempt at writing in this capacity, and I have had so much fun writing them. I am still in awe that people actually read it and liked it. It means a lot! A lot of people told me they want me to keep writing for that particular storyline, so I'm definitely thinking about it! I have gotten a few tempting prompts that I will likely cave and end up writing…..A few said that the chapter where Maya had the baby was a good stopping point if I was ready to end it, so I'm considering that too. In the meantime, I got stuck babysitting in a house with terrible cell reception and this new series happened. My first multi chapter (Chronological, at least) au series! I have always been kind of a sucker for fake date fics, even though they can be cheesy and very predictable. This one is au because I made the triangle never exist and kinda changed the parameters of their friendships. This chapter is largely a setup chapter just to establish the dynamic of their friendship. As of right now, it is the only chapter I have written, but I don't really want to make it a slow burn situation, largely because I sometimes get impatient during those. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this. Please let me know what you think/if you think I should keep going with this story! I love hearing your thoughts/suggestions!

Ever since high school, Maya and Lucas had always been especially close out of everyone in their friend group. They were content to hang out with everyone else, but were known to basically be together at all times outside of group time. Not only were they especially close with each other, but Lucas and Maya both knew each other's families really well. It was not weird for Maya to come home to find Lucas at the table with Maya's mom catching up or Lucas to come home to find Maya baking and cooking dinner with his mom. For the past six years of their friendship everyone has made it known that they believe Maya and Lucas should be together. At this point, they both just laughed when people said that to them because they were so used to it. Little did they both know the reaction that question caused them both to have internally. That feeling of tightness in their chests, the flutter in their stomachs, the acute awareness of their facial expressions that they desperately tried to keep neutral.

The summer before sophomore year of high school was the time when their friendship originally shifted from casual friends to inseparable. Everyone knew Maya's family struggled financially when she was younger. Things weren't completely solved at the time either, but Maya's mom, with the help of her new husband Shawn, had things under control now. One thing that had unfortunately not changed with that shift in the paradigm of Maya's life was the occasional dig at Maya's "bad life". Maya had learned to just shrug it off and build up a wall that wouldn't let her get hurt because of her friends' careless comments. She knew they loved her and didn't mean it as terribly as it came off. However, one day Lucas had enough of hearing it.

It all started when Maya didn't know why her best friend Riley was so horrified by the idea of going to a high school party. Yes, there would be "scary things" there like alcohol and potentially couples hooking up in plain sight. And yes, it started at 10:00pm. But Maya felt confident that if the 6 of them went together, they would be able to handle it. They didn't have to do anything bad, they could just experience something new. Riley, likely embarrassed that Maya brought up the fact that Riley found those things that were pretty commonplace to the typical high school student completely unthinkable, immediately fired back with a comment along the lines of 'not all of us have to do outrageous things just to cope with abandonment issues, Maya.' Lucas couldn't really remember her exact words, but he did remember seeing red as soon as they left her mouth. Before Maya even had a chance to react, Lucas stood up, glaring at Riley, and grabbed Maya's hand and pulled her out of the café. She was so taken aback from Riley's particularly harsh jab that she just let him drag her out with no protest. Once they were outside she realized what had just happened.

"Why did you just drag me out of there, Huckleberry? I wasn't planning on clobbering her. She says shit like that all the time. I just ignore it."

Lucas looked at her with a sadness in his eyes, "I don't care if you're used to her making comments like that. That doesn't make it okay. You don't deserve that at all. You and I will go to the party tonight, okay?"  
Maya looked up at him, somewhat surprised that he stuck up for her like that.  
She smiled softly. "Sure, that would be fun."  
Lucas smiled with a fondness that Maya had still yet to notice and turned to walk her home.

Neither of them had ever really discussed the idea of taking their relationship to the next level. Sure, they often acknowledged how attractive the other was, they cuddled constantly and they had so many inside jokes they could make anyone around them feel uncomfortable. But to them, crossing that line meant risking the relationship they had both come to love and depend on over the past six years. As a result, they really didn't even entertain the idea.

Now, as college sophomores, their friendship was strong as ever. Both Maya and Lucas were the only ones out of their friend group to attend NYU. Riley was at Yale, Farkle was at Harvard with Smackle and Zay went back to Texas on a football scholarship. Nothing had really changed between them. They were still inseparable, they were constantly told what a cute couple they were and most importantly, they loved to tease each other more than anything.

Maya barged into Lucas' dorm after her Thursday afternoon class, which she always did. Lucas wasn't back from his tutoring job yet, so Maya took off her shoes and climbed in his bed to nap until he got back. When she woke up, the light in his room had shifted quite a bit indicating it was early evening now. Maya looked around and noticed Lucas had dropped his stuff off at his desk, but she didn't see him anywhere. She got up and saw the note he left on her backpack.

"Hey Shortstack,  
You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you. You need all the beauty rest you can get ;) KIDDING.  
I was starving and knew you probably would be too, so I went to get us some food. So don't leave before I come back.

I'll be back soon,  
Huckleberry"

Maya smiled and thought about what a dork her best friend was. But he was the best kind of dork who brought her food without having to even ask. She thinks she'll keep him around.

A few minutes later, she heard the door open and quite a bit of rustling. She walked out of his room to find Lucas juggling two take out bags from her favorite taco place and a drink tray while trying to shut the door. She ran over to help him carry, unable to resist a little jab for his near clumsiness.

"Ranger Rick, have I taught you nothing? Dropping tacos breaks them and turns them into taco salad. There will be no salad eating in this dorm room tonight." She smirked at him and carried the bag of food she had taken from him into his kitchen area to get everything set up."

Lucas shook his head fondly in response and promised to be more careful in the future. Maya smiled and thanked him, also making sure to thank him for getting them food in the first place. She loved to tease him, but she also wanted him to know that he is appreciated.

He looked at her a little guiltily in response, but Maya thought she was just imagining things due to extreme hunger.

Both Lucas and Maya filled their plates with tacos, chips and guacamole and sat down at his kitchen table to eat. It had been a normal dinner, except Maya kept getting a weird vibe from him. Normally when she would make fun of him, he would make fun of her right back, but tonight he was just letting her get away with everything.

"Huckleberry are you okay? You're being too nice to me." She scrunched her nose. "It's weird."

Lucas looked at her and back down at his tacos. "Maya, I need to ask you something but I'm pretty sure once you hear it you're going to send me to my momma's shed."

Maya furrowed her brows. What on earth could he ask her that would make her want to send him to the shed? She was truly baffled.

"Okay, Lucas, now you have to tell me. You're freaking me out."

Lucas took a deep breath and looked at his best friend. "Okay, Maya, but you have to promise not to freak out on me. Just let me explain first."

Maya nodded hoping she could at least follow his simple request.

Lucas looked at her and started, "Okay you know my grandma Mabel? Pappy Joe's wife?"

Maya nodded, not understanding what his grandmother had to do with anything. She has spent several summers with his family in Texas at Pappy Joe's ranch.

Lucas continued, "You know how she has always loved you? Well her 90th birthday is coming up in 3 weeks and we are flying out to Texas for the party. It falls during our fall break, so we are spending the whole week down there. She isn't entirely well, so when we were telling her that we would be able to make it, she kept insisting that I bring my 'pretty blonde girlfriend' to the party. We tried to remind her that you're my best friend but she wasn't having it. That was all well and good, but then my mom talked to my aunt and found out that Grandma has told the entire family that I'm bringing my beautiful girlfriend to the party, and apparently they have all freaked out because I finally came to my senses and asked you out. Maya, I'm so sorry you got roped into this crazy web, but is there anyway you would come with me to Texas and pretend to be my girlfriend for the sake of Grandma Mabel?" If you want we can tell everyone you're not my girlfriend. I don't want you to feel like I'm ruining your rep, even if this is fake. But it would mean a lot to me and my family." Lucas gave her puppy dog eyes, knowing she could hardly ever say no to them.

Maya looked at him incredulously. "Lucas Joseph Friar, I cannot believe you just let yourself get so worked up about asking me to help you. You know I love your family like my own and you're my best friend. Of course I will be your fake girlfriend. We will hardly even have to act different, everyone thinks we are dating 90% of the time already. It also works out because your family likes me better than you, anyways."

Lucas smiled and immediately stood up, pulling Maya into a hug. He spun her around and kissed her on top of her head and profusely thanked her.

Maya laughed and told him it was nothing, but was sure to add that he owed her. Big time. This was going to be an interesting trip, to say the least.

A/N: Hi! Just a quick note- I really don't want anyone to think I'm trying to make Riley a villain! This is au, so I chose not to go with typically bubbly Riley. I wanted there to be some source of conflict that drew Lucas to protect Maya as the basis of their friendship, and that just seemed like a good way to go. Anyways. Hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay guys, first of all, SO sorry for the delay. I had a midterm last week and I have had the hardest time writing this for some reason. I don't even feel good about it really, but after rewriting it multiple times, this was the best outcome so far. I tried to make it super long since I kept you waiting. I added the line breaks to signify a time jump AKA where I would have separated it into 2 chapters, but like I said, I wanted to make sure to upload a nice, long chapter after the delay. Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it.

It was the night before they were set to leave for Texas and Maya was spending the night at the Friar apartment because they had an early morning ahead of them. Lucas had a late tutoring session, so Maya was hanging out with his mom until he got back. Maya helped Mrs. Friar prepare some snack bags to take on the plane the next morning and then they decided to pamper themselves a bit. Lucas walked in the door to find them watching 13 Going on 30 while his mom painted Maya's toenails.

Lucas smiled and moved to join the girls at the kitchen table. "What do we have here?"

Maya smirked at him and said, "Well, we were having a nice, relaxing girl's night until you showed up, Hopalong."

Mrs. Friar smiled and shook her head and continued to paint Maya's toenails, used to their deprecating banter.

"Alright, missy. Your toes are all finished up, but please wait till they are dry to walk through the carpet, or else we will both have messes to clean up." Mrs. Friar placed a kiss on top of both of their heads, "Goodnight you two. Don't stay up too late. We are leaving this apartment at 7am sharp." She proceeded down the hall to her room for the night.

Lucas turned himself to face Maya. "Hey Shortstack, wanna help me pack?"

Maya looked over at him in shock. "Lucas! You haven't packed yet? We are going to be gone a whole week and you're supposed to be the responsible one."

Lucas just looked at Maya pleadingly, willing her to drop the sass and just help him.

"Ugh, fine. You need my top notch packing skills now more than ever. But you have to carry me because I'm not getting in trouble with your mom for ruining my toes and her carpet."

Lucas smiled at his best friend and without saying a word, scooped her up bridal style. Maya squealed and laughed in surprised and secured her arms around his neck. As soon as her hands touched his neck, goosebumps erupted on Lucas' arms and he really hoped Maya didn't notice.

Once they reached his room, he dropped her on his bed with a thud. Maya looked up, glaring at him with a gleam in her eye. "Huckleberry! I might be your best friend, but I'm still a girl! Be gentle with me!"

He raised his hands in surrender and apologized. Maya moved to the floor where his empty suitcase was waiting. They fell into a rhythm of Lucas grabbing the stuff he needed to pack and handing it to Maya, who was a master at packing everything in an organized way to make everything fit. It was her specialty.

"Thanks again for doing all of this, Maya."

Maya looked up from the shirts she was rolling up and said, "You know how much I love packing things. It's no big deal." She knew he wasn't talking about the packing, but she didn't really feel like having a sappy friendship moment.

Lucas smiled, "I wasn't talking about the packing and you know it, you dork."

Maya gaped at him in mock offense and rolled her eyes. "I told you. I love your family and it's really not that big of a deal. Will we even have to act any differently than we normally do?"

Lucas thought about it for a moment. "In terms of how we interact, no. Our teasing is always mistaken for flirting….but we might have to be a little more…..I don't know…..affectionate towards each other?"

Maya's eyes widened a little bit, but immediately softened. She sort of had a feeling this was coming. What she didn't anticipate was the drop in her stomach as soon as he spoke the words. She was a master at being cool in awkward situations, so she quickly composed herself. "What exactly do you mean by affectionate? Like are we talking more than hand holding?"

Lucas thought about it. "I don't know, Maya. You know my family. Especially my aunts. They're so over the top. And they have wanted us to get together forever. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. My mom made a good point that we are pretty touchy feely anyways without even meaning to be, so we really should be okay. But I should probably put my arm around you every once in a while. Maybe kiss the top of your head? I don't know. I'm just as foreign to all of this as you are."

Maya got up and went to sit next to him on the other side of the room. She could tell he was getting anxious, likely in fear that she would be mad at him. She put her hand on his hand and spoke softly, "Hey. Listen, I agreed to this. Like you said, it's hardly different from what we normally do. It won't be weird. It's fine. You already kiss me on the head all the time. Do whatever you think you need to do to make this believable. If I'm uncomfortable, you know I'll tell you." She squeezed his hand and went back over to the suitcase to keep working her magic.

Lucas smiled over at her and wondered what he did to deserve such a great best friend.

They finally finished packing and after Maya was done scolding him for procrastinating, they decided to curl up in his bed and watch a movie. They knew they had a really early morning ahead of them, but they were so used to staying up well past midnight that they weren't really tired.

Once they both got ready for bed, Lucas climbed in his bed and Maya followed, getting situated with her head in her favorite spot in the space between his neck and shoulder. They browsed through Netflix and finally settled on a movie they wouldn't mind falling asleep during. Lucas mindlessly played with Maya's long hair and after a while she started to get sleepy. She turned over so she was facing Lucas and buried her face against his chest. Lucas chuckled and started rubbing her back. He rolled back a little bit so he could see her face.

"You ready to go to sleep?"

Maya met his eyes and nodded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes, silently apologizing for the fact that she lasted less than 30 minutes into the movie. He smiled at her knowingly and nodded. He honestly wasn't even surprised. He expected her to immediately close her eyes again, but she was still looking him in the eyes. He held her gaze, not entirely sure what she was doing. She sat up slightly to lean over and kiss his cheek, but in her sleepiness and Lucas' confusion, he turned his head as she leaned down and she ended up pecking him on the lips. Much to her surprise he reciprocated. It was super quick and they pulled away wide eyed.

"I-I-I'm so so sorry Lucas, I was just going to kiss you on the cheek, but then you turned your head and wow."

Maya turned over and faced away from Lucas in embarrassment, hating feeling that way around her best friend. It was super rare for her to feel flustered or lose control of a situation, but something like this had never happened before. She wasn't even going to think about the electricity she still felt lingering on her lips.

Lucas quickly draped his arm around her waist and, despite her protests, he flipped her back over to face him. "Maya, stop. I know you're embarrassed but you don't need to be." He smirked at her and continued, "If we're being honest, I didn't hate it. And besides, you're about to be my fake girlfriend for a week. I was kind of anticipating that to happen at some point anyways. Like I said, you know my Aunts. This time can just be a practice round…." He suddenly got nervous too. "Unless you hated it because then it can just be a one-time thing and we never have to talk about it again."

Maya smiled at her dork of a best friend, glad that he was embarrassed too. She grabbed his hand from her waist and placed a kiss on it, then lifted up his arm so she could turn back around and nestle against him for warmth like she always did. Sleepy Maya always turned into cuddly Maya. She then lowered his arm, and he kept it sitting on her waist. They both silently told themselves that it was to assure her that he wasn't feeling awkward about what happened.

"Night Huckleberry. Please make sure your alarm is set like an hour before we actually have to get up to avoid an extra grumpy Maya morning experience."

Lucas laughed and tightened his grip on her, starting to give into his own sleepiness. "Already done, Shortstack. Goodnight."

It didn't take long for Lucas to feel Maya's breathing slow, indicating that she was asleep. He was really tired too and he knew he would regret not getting enough sleep before their early flight, but he couldn't stop thinking about the accidental kiss. He knew she didn't mean to do it, but what he didn't expect was to feel such a weird electric spark when it happened. Sure, he knew Maya was beautiful and he loved her and trusted her more than probably anyone. But he had never let himself seriously consider if he had feelings for her beyond friendship because their relationship was the most important thing to him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to cope if something bad happened between them and he knew she felt the same way. All he knew was the sassy blonde sleeping in his arms made him feel like no other human could, and now he wondered if these feelings were new or if they had been there all along but he refused to let himself acknowledge them. He decided not to do anything rash. They had a whole week of pretending to be in a relationship. If he continued to feel these things, he would figure out how to bring it up in an way that wouldn't cause Maya to get scared and run. He would rather continue to suppress it than risk losing her altogether. He leaned forward slightly and placed a kiss on her head like he always did, but this time felt a little different. He snuggled her closer and fell asleep to the sound of her breathing.

Maya was not a morning person. She used to be great about getting up and getting ready in plenty of time to go get Riley before school, but college had taken away that pep in her step. Now, she needed at least an hour of alarm snoozing, coffee and preferably several more hours of sleep.

When Lucas' alarm began going off in the morning, Maya immediately grumbled and turned to face Lucas, burying her head in his chest. "Make it stop, Hopalong. Too early."

Lucas laughed lightly, agreeing with her, rubbed her back sleepily and snoozed the alarm.

After repeating the snoozing process roughly 7 times, it was time for them to actually get out of bed. Once Lucas made sure Maya was all the way out of bed, he went to shower and she began getting ready, making sure to pack everything after she was done using it.

Once they were both ready and fully packed, Lucas carried their bags downstairs to the kitchen and Maya followed behind him slowly. They were met by Lucas' mom, who was very much a morning person. She cheerfully greeted them and began ushering them out the door into the car.

Once they were on their way to the airport, Lucas turned around and looked at Maya, who was laying down in the back seat. "You okay, Shortstack?"

Maya grumbled in response and said "Coffee."

Lucas nodded in understanding and laughed under his breath. He knew he owed her big time for doing this, so he wasn't going to tease her about her lack of morning enthusiasm.

Once they got through security and made it to their gate, they had a little time to spare. Lucas excused himself to go find breakfast while Mrs. Friar and Maya found seats.

"How are you feeling about all of this, Maya? We are so grateful you are helping us with this little charade. It really will make this week so special for Grandma Mabel."

Maya smiled, knowing their girl talk got cut short the night before when Lucas got home.

"I'm totally happy to do it. I might give Lucas a hard time every once in a while, but you guys know that I would do anything for you after all you've done for me."

Maya didn't let herself be vulnerable like that often, but Mrs. Friar was always able to access that side of her with her mama bear nature.

Mrs. Friar smiled knowingly and pulled Maya into a side hug. Lucas came back with a tray of Starbucks drinks and a bag of assorted pastries.

Maya sat up and looked at him as if he had hung the stars in the sky. "Huckleberry, you're kind of my hero."

Lucas laughed and made a comment about how she was too easy to please. Once he gave everyone their drinks and food, Lucas sat next to Maya and she promptly leaned her head on his shoulder, claiming she was still too tired to hold it up on her own. Lucas rolled his eyes and his mom gave him a knowing look.

Mrs. Friar knew that Maya and Lucas fought hard to keep their relationship platonic, but she knew that they would eventually figure out how they felt about each other. That is why she was more than okay to entertain Grandma Mabel's current belief that they were together. Not that she was for pressuring them to acknowledge their feelings, she just felt like this might open their eyes a little bit.

By the time they were called to board the plane, Maya was asleep on Lucas' shoulder, still holding her coffee. He carefully grabbed the cup from her hand to avoid getting spilled on and woke her up. She wasn't nearly as irritated as he thought she would be. She just smiled at him and grabbed her coffee.

Maya and Lucas were seated next to each other in first class, but for some reason Lucas' mom was on the other side and several rows in front of them. They were confused, but ultimately didn't mind the extra privacy.

Maya has gone to Texas with Lucas several times now, but one thing she still wasn't accustomed to was certain aspects of flying. Namely, take offs and landings. She definitely wasn't a fan of either, and Lucas knew it. Once the plane started moving, he could tell Maya completely tensed up. He reached over his armrest and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. "It's okay. Squeeze my hand if you need to."

Maya nodded, appreciating that he didn't take this opportunity to tease her. Instead, he ran his thumb over the back of her hand, which always had a comforting effect on her, but today she felt her stomach flip when he did it. This kept happening around him lately and it was really starting to scare her. Both she and Lucas always made it a point to never cross over the line of friendship. She wasn't even sure if he was interested in her in that way. They had little moments all the time, especially lately, but they never talked about their feelings when those moments happened. She had no idea where he stood. All she knew was that he was her Huckleberry best friend that would do anything for her at the drop of a hat and she would do the exact same for him. And maybe she liked it a lot when they cuddled, or when he insisted on walking her home even in broad daylight, or the way he knew what she needed before she even did. He was so perceptive when it came to her, and even though he might not have thought it was a big deal, she always noticed.

Lost in her thoughts, she realized they were already in the air and Lucas was staring at her. She turned to face him.

"Maya! You didn't even flinch or squeeze my hand when we took off! Either you've had one hell of a transformation since last time we flew or you've got something on your mind."

There he goes again knowing her better than she knows herself.

Maya smirked at him, kind of excited that she hadn't made a fool of herself. She drank the last of her coffee and immediately made herself comfortable again on his shoulder. "Look at me growing up and conquering my fears. Who knows, I might not even need your hand squeezing services any longer."

Lucas kind of deflated at the thought of Maya not needing him. She noticed and looked up at him, squeezing his hand. "But I probably still will. Just because it's fun."

He looked down and their intertwined hands and smiled at her. He couldn't help but notice how much he kind of wanted to kiss her in that moment, but he knew now wasn't the time. He also wondered how long he had been apparently suppressing these feelings and desperately hoped they would go back to whatever dormant state they had been in prior to Maya accidentally kissing him. That would definitely make things easier.

Maya leaned her head back on his shoulder and got situated. He instantly began playing with her hair and Maya sighed. "Whatcha thinking about, Huckleberry? You look very pensive."

He continued playing with her hair and looked down at her, "It's nothing. Just thinking about what this week is going to be like."

Maya turned her head so that her chin was resting on his shoulder and she was looking at him. "Are you nervous?"

Lucas shook his head. "Pretending you're my girlfriend isn't going to be hard at all, Shortstack."

Maya smiled into his shoulder, embarrassed. She felt the flutter in her stomach again and tried to stop herself from thinking of the implications of what he just said. She lifted her head up to look at him, "Is that so?" She wanted to think of a sassy reply, but she was taken a little off guard by his comment.

He looked at her a bit sheepishly, suddenly very aware of what he had just said. "Yeah…I think it will be fun. It's like we get the friendship and all the benefits. The best of both worlds. What could happen?" As he spoke those words he knew a lot could happen. But he was trying to be nonchalant.

"Yeah….what could happen?..." Maya looked up at him because she could feel him staring at her. Her stomach was doing flips, but she didn't really know why. That is, until he started leaning in towards her. She held her breath, not sure of what to do. He changed his direction slightly and instead reached down to his carryon bad to grab his laptop. _"Oh my god, get a grip Maya._ " she thought to herself. She seriously needed to relax and was regretting consuming her coffee in such a short amount of time.

"Hey, wanna watch a movie, Shortstack? I brought my laptop."

His question drew her out of her thoughts and she nodded, happy to have a distraction. They spent the rest of the flight huddled together watching movies and taking turns dosing off. Once they had landed and retrieved their luggage, Mrs. Friar met them at the airport entrance.

"Are you kids ready to put on a show?"

Lucas and Maya looked at each other and gulped. Maya spoke up. "Guess there's no turning back now, right?"

* * *

It has been a day since Lucas and Maya arrived in Texas and things were going pretty well. Among arriving to the ranch, they were bombarded with congratulations and questions about when Lucas finally got the nerve to ask Maya to be his girlfriend. Much to Lucas' dismay, Maya took the reins and told a dramatic story about him suddenly realizing his feelings for her when another guy admitted having a crush on her and that he finally realized he needed to take action before she was swept away by another man. Lucas, of course, smiled at her fondly and went along with her story, knowing that if that situation were real, he likely would have acted in the exact way she described.

Grandma Mabel was most excited out of everyone to see them finally 'together'. She fawned over them any chance she got, and she tried to get details out of both of them when they were apart. Seeing how excited she was made them realize that this was worth it, despite the new complication of actual feelings getting potentially involved.

Thankfully, his family hadn't pried too much or mentioned their lack of substantial PDA. Maya and Lucas had fallen into the rhythm of holding hands and being just generally affectionate towards each other when around the whole family. They had several flirtatious moments that felt like more than acting, but neither of them mentioned anything afterwards despite the fact that both of them noticed. They were both sleeping in Lucas' old room because all of the guest rooms were being used by the extended family. They didn't mind, happy to fall asleep watching Friends reruns crammed together in Lucas' childhood bed. So far, everything had been calm. That is, until his aunts begged them to go on a hike towards the edge of their property, where there was actually some really nice scenery. Not having any reason to decline, both Lucas and Maya agreed to participate. After changing into active clothing and appropriate shoes, Lucas and Maya laced their hands together and began walking with the three older women.

Lucas' Aunt Melissa broke the comfortable silence that had formed. "Hey Luke, I don't want to embarrass you in front of your girlfriend, but we have all been talking and we think you need to step up your game." Maya bit her lip to keep from laughing and looked at Lucas' face to see how red it was. Very, very red.

Lucas turned his head towards his aunt, an incredulous look on his face. "Aunt Melissa! First of all, I don't even know what you mean. She has been my best friend for years, and she agreed to be my girlfriend. Clearly I'm not that awful! And second of all, why would you even say that?"

"Oh come on, we know you two love each other, but you need to show her more. You are lucky to have a girl like her, Luke. She needs to know that you know that. Holding hands and wrapping your arm around her when you sit on the couch isn't gonna do that. You guys always did that kind of stuff when you were just friends."

Lucas wanted to disappear in that moment. This was the exact thing he was afraid of going into this. His aunts meant well, but they have always struggled with the concept of boundaries, especially when it came to his personal life. He desperately hoped Maya wasn't incredibly uncomfortable by this conversation. However, upon looking over at her, he saw nothing but amusement on her face. She squeezed his hand. "Yeah, Luke. You need to show me how much you care about me." She smirked, silently telling him she was teasing, but his Aunts didn't exactly know that. They all looked over at him with looks that screamed, 'I told you so!' He should have known that Maya would be entirely on board with teasing him and egging his aunts on. Thankfully, at this moment, all 3 of his aunts excused themselves to clear some weeds growing along the fence line, but told Lucas and Maya to continue up to the peak nearby and enjoy the outdoors for a bit until they were done.

Even though his aunts were no longer with them, Lucas and Maya were still holding hands as they continued on the trail towards the peak, occasionally bumping shoulders as well. They made idle conversation along the way, but were content to mostly just observe their surroundings in quiet. Once they reached the highest point, they approached the rocks surrounding the edge and looked around.

Maya looked at Lucas. "I always forget how beautiful it is out here."  
Lucas kept his eyes trained on Maya, still holding her hand. He nodded, and something about the look in his eyes told Maya he wasn't agreeing with the beauty of the outdoors. She kept looking at his eyes and saw something new in them. Before she knew it, she felt her hand being pulled towards him, their eyes still locked.

Maya's breath hitched, knowing what was potentially about to happen. At this point there was no time to think about it because their foreheads were pressed against each other. Lucas moved his other hand to the small of her back, pushing her flush against him. When Maya didn't pull back, Lucas closed the gap between them and crashed his lips against hers. It didn't take Maya long to reciprocate, moving her hands to wrap around his neck and deepening the kiss. After a moment they broke away, breathing heavily. The kiss was filled with sweetness and left them in kind of a daze. Normally Maya would be the first to make a sarcastic remark to diffuse the situation, but this was a very rare moment that found her completely at a loss for words.

Maya, who still had her arms around his neck, pulled him down towards her again. As soon as he realized what she was doing, he leaned in the rest of the way and connected their lips in a series of short kisses.

Once again, they pulled away in a smiley daze. This time, Lucas immediately wrapped her up in a hug. Maya automatically burrowed herself into his chest, tucking her arms in so that he could completely wrap his arms around her. Lucas loved how tiny she was compared to him, especially in moments like this.

If Maya's heart wasn't pounding before, it sure was now. They stayed quiet and looked at the beautiful landscape surrounding them, not sure what would happen once they left this moment, but for the time being that was okay with them.

Maya was grateful for the quiet because it gave her some time to process. She was still shocked that he kissed her in the first place. The self-deprecating part of her mind that still believed she didn't deserve good things immediately went back to the conversation Lucas just had with his Aunt Melissa during their hike. But the rational side of Maya knew that he didn't solely kiss her because his aunts had given him a hard time about the lack of affection. His aunts weren't even near them to see this happening. She also remembered that they have had a couple of small moments during the trip so far, but she kind of assumed they were just part of the show for his family when they happened, even though her emotional response was definitely real. She didn't know exactly how she felt about the kiss, but it was undeniable that she felt happy and at peace after it happened. It was almost like everything else just faded away.

As soon as Lucas kissed her, he was instantly hit with the implications of what he had just done. In the moment, it felt like the right thing to do, even though it went against his original plan to see how the entire week went before making any moves. Seeing Maya glowing in the sunshine like that -she looked stunning and the moment just felt so perfect. He knew he would have regretted it if he hadn't taken that chance. Also the fact that Maya initiated the second kiss made him feel significantly better about his decision to just go for it.

As he held Maya and thought about what just happened, he was hoping she felt okay about it too. He knew they would have to discuss things eventually, but for now he was content to just stand up there and hold her the way he had been wanting to since he first recognized that his feelings might have expanded past platonic territory.

After several more minutes, Maya looked up at him with a faint grin on her face, wanting to at least bring up what just happened before his aunts came back to escort them back to the house.

"Hi."

Lucas breathed out a laugh and looked down at her fondly. "Hey Maya Papaya."

Maya scrunched her nose and laughed at her childhood nickname that was rarely used anymore. She backed up out of his arms so she could look at him more easily and took a deep breath. "So that was…"

"Unreal." He finished, smiling down at his best friend. He motioned for them to sit so they could be more comfortable while they talked. When Maya stepped off the rock to sit down on it, her foot slipped in some loose gravel and she fell onto the rock, twisting her ankle pretty badly. Lucas tried to catch her in time to break the fall, but he didn't make it fast enough. Maya winced in pain and cursed upon noticing her ankle was already swelling.

Lucas immediately crouched down beside her and began to examine her ankle. "You okay, Shortstack?"

Maya held back tears, willing herself not to cry. "It hurts like a bitch, Lucas. I don't think I can walk all the way back to the house on it."

He pushed the hair off of her face and looked down at her. "Of course not. Do you want me to carry you, or would you rather I walk back up to the shed and grab the golf cart and bring it back here?"

Maya thought about it. "Will carrying me be hard for you? I would rather not stay here by myself, but if it's too far to carry me then I totally get it."

Lucas smiled at his best friend. "You're tiny, I don't mind carrying you. Do you want to piggyback it or do you want me to hold you? What would be more comfortable for your ankle?"

Maya looked down at her now purple and blue ankle, "I honestly think piggyback might hurt it. Could we maybe try bridal style and then if it's too hard on you I can try piggyback?"

Without another word, Lucas carefully scooped her up, but was much more gentle with her than he normally was. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck and did her best to keep her body still and minimize the movement of her ankle as he moved along the trail.

Lucas was concerned, but he was trying to move as carefully as possible so as not to jolt Maya and make the injury worse. He was also worried about how quiet she was being. As he maneuvered her through a particularly wooded area, he decided to try and talk to her. "You doing okay, Shortstack?"

Maya met his eyes and winced a little as she got jolted. "About as good as I can with this ankle situation going on. Thanks for carrying me." Her eyes widened. "Hey, do we need to figure out a way to let your aunts know that we went back without them?"

Lucas had been so worried about getting Maya back and the fact that they just kissed and had completely forgot about his aunts. "When I run inside to grab my car keys, I'll tell my mama to send someone out there to tell them. It's no big deal."

Maya nodded, tightening her grip on his neck and growing increasingly frustrated that this had to happen, especially since it was after kind of a big moment in their relationship.

"Sorry I killed the mood." Maya spoke against his shoulder, a little embarrassed. She felt him chuckle underneath her.

"Only you would apologize for getting hurt, Maya. And you didn't ruin the mood. It was still a really good moment... At least I thought so." His voice dropped off towards the end, nervous of what her response would be. "I'm sorry you got hurt, though."

Maya smiled up at him, glad that the estate was finally in sight. Her ankle was throbbing. "It's okay, Huckleberry. It's a little less than ideal. It could have been worse, I guess. But if you know me at all, you know I'm going to milk this for all it's worth."

Lucas chuckled and tightened his grip on her, "I wouldn't expect any less."

When they finally reached the house, Lucas' mom was on the porch watering some plants and humming to herself. When she finally looked up and saw Lucas carrying Maya, her face clouded with concern. "Son, what happened out there?" Lucas immediately blushed a little, remembering the moment they had overlooking the peak, but quickly recovered. "Maya and I were going to sit on some rocks to talk and look over the peak, but she slipped and rolled her ankle really badly. Look at it."

Maya held her foot up as high as she could without straining it any further. At this point it was about three times its normal size and very bruised. Mrs. Friar gasped and examined Maya's foot. "Luke, you need to take her to the ER. I'm not so sure that's just a sprain. Maya, can you put weight on it?"

Maya tried to move it around and winced, "I didn't try. Huckleberry here just kinda swept me right up and carried me back. It hurts pretty bad without standing, so I'm not feeling great about those odds."

Mrs. Friar looked at Maya's ankle one more time and started walking towards the front door. "Luke, I'm going to go get your keys. Why don't you get Maya situated in the car. Be careful with her, okay?"

Lucas rolled his eyes at his mom and Maya lightly laughed despite the pain she was currently feeling.

"Do you want to lay down in the back seat, or do you want to try sitting in the front seat?"

Maya thought about it for a second. "I think I can handle the front seat. Just be careful when you set me down." She nudged his shoulder for emphasis.

Lucas opened the car door and carefully lowered Maya into the passenger seat, careful to not ram her foot into the floor. Once she was situated, he started to buckle her seatbelt and she grabbed his hand and removed it from the belt. "Lucas," she whined, "I hurt my ankle, I'm perfectly capable of buckling my own seatbelt." She eyed him as he released the belt and set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

"Sorry, you're right." He started to back away to shut the door, when Maya quickly grabbed his hand. He looked down at their touching hands and back up to her face. She pulled his hand until he was directly in front of her, face to face. She leaned forward and pecked his lips. "Thanks for carrying me for 30 minutes without even complaining or making fun of me for falling, Huckleberry."

Lucas smiled and hoped his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "Sure thing, Maya Papaya." He squeezed her hand and started backing away so that he could shut her door. He got his keys from his mom and proceeded to carefully drive them to the ER.

After several hours of waiting that consisted of Maya falling asleep for most of it and Lucas nervously playing with her hair and reading on his phone, it was found that Maya had a grade 3 sprain, which means that the ligament was completely torn. As a result, the doctor placed a short leg cast on Maya that she would need to wear for 2-3 weeks, depending on how quickly it healed. She would also have to use crutches during that time. Maya was pretty upset about it, mostly because she felt bad that this happened one day into their trip. She didn't want to be a burden or cause his family to change any of their plans.

As they slowly walked out of the hospital, Maya was really quiet. It had been a long day and Lucas knew she was probably less than thrilled about the prospect of having a cast for the next three weeks, especially when some of her favorite Texas activities were outdoors. He didn't want to pry too much when she clearly didn't want to talk about it, but he wanted to cheer her up.

"Hey, want to stop at your favorite Mexican restaurant on the way home and then we can go straight to my room and have a movie night? We can just relax and do whatever you want."

Maya managed a smile, reached out and squeezed his hand. "That sounds like a very good plan to me. Take me to the tacos, Cowboy."

Lucas smiled and placed his hand on the small of her back while he helped her into his truck and he did just that.

A/N: Alright, I hope that wasn't too rough! I REALLY struggled with where to put the kiss in. I wanted it to happen around ch 3, which this is technically 2 and 3 combined, so I hope it isn't too sudden. There will likely be a few more chapters. Obviously Maya and Lucas have to get a chance to discuss what happened, and there will be a few obstacles. Because what is the fun in everything going perfectly for everyone, right? Please let me know your thoughts, ideas, whatever! I love hearing from you! :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Surprise! You're getting a double update tonight (between ilyal and this story, not double chapters, sorry!). I actually feel kind of bad because I have had this much of the story written for days. It was only as I was trying to continue the section that I realized this was actually a good cut-off for a chapter. Sooo, here you go! I hope you are enjoying the story, despite the fact that I am sort of winging it as I go! Let me know what you think! :)

It had been 2 days since Maya hurt her ankle and things have been a little tense around the Friar estate. Maya, who has always been fiercely independent, found herself having to rely on others which was proving to be difficult for her. Lucas knew how much she loved her independence, but he could only watch her struggle to get around for so long before he intervened.

Another source of tension was the fact that Maya and Lucas still hadn't discussed the moment they shared before Maya hurt herself. After the ER, both Maya and Lucas were completely wiped out and spent the night in bed silently dosing while watching movies. As a result, there has been a wave of awkward tension surrounding them ever since. To make matters worse, everyone was starting to notice.

Grandma Mabel had just gone to take her afternoon nap, so the rest of the family was getting ready to go on a long horseback ride. Normally that was Maya's favorite thing to do when they were in Texas, so she was pretty upset that Pappy Joe refused to let her go, even after she gave him her fool proof puppy dog eyes.

"Maya, I'm so sorry, but I can't have you riding a horse and risking you getting injured further. Also I don't know what is going on with you and Lucas, but having the house to yourselves for a while might be a good chance to resolve it. That is, if he decides not to go."

Maya's cheeks heated up, embarrassed that he just said that in front of everyone. She knew that once Pappy Joe spoke there was no going back. His word was basically law in that house. Maya nodded, kissed Lucas on the cheek – just to keep up their act - and headed upstairs to their room before anyone else had a chance to say anything.

As soon as she made it to the room, she got out her phone and texted her best friend. She was at a loss of how to go about this odd situation.

To: Riles  
Tell me what happens when I pretend to be Huckleberry's girlfriend for a few days and suddenly maybe realize I have actual feelings for him? Please help. Love you.

Much to Maya's relief, it didn't take long for Riley to respond.

To: Peaches  
YAY! I won my bet with Farkle! Peaches, it's about time you two realized that this was inevitable! I'm actually screaming right now! Wow! Don't be scared, Maya. I think you've always felt this way and you just didn't know it yet. I think it's pretty safe to say he feels the same way too. Just tell him how you feel. J Let me know how it goes! Love you!

Maya felt oddly comforted by her overenthusiastic best friend. She made herself comfortable in bed and got out Lucas' computer to find something to watch, wanting to get her mind off of this situation for a little bit. At this point she figured Lucas had chosen to go riding and she didn't blame him one bit. That's what she would have chosen too. She was startled out of her thoughts by the creaking door. She looked up to find Lucas hesitantly standing in the doorway.

"Mind if I join you, Shortstack?"

Maya smiled at him. "I thought you were going to go riding with everyone and leave your poor, crippled fake girlfriend behind."

"I wouldn't leave you here by yourself! And apparently we have some tension to work out. At least that's the word on the street."

Maya rolled her eyes and moved over, sitting up slightly to make room for Lucas. He crossed the room and climbed in the bed next to her, laying on his side so he was facing her.

Maya had been dreading this conversation ever since she got hurt two days ago. Largely, she was still irritated with her injury and very scared of the feelings that she was starting to recognize towards her best friend. Lucas had been great with helping her get around the house easily and she feels like she has been nothing but short with him. They also hadn't been as touchy as they normally were, even around his family, which is why even they were all starting to show concern towards the couple. Seeing Lucas skip the family riding trip and still want to hang out with her even though she's been nothing but short with him, suddenly melted all her barriers. That, and the encouragement she received from her best friend. She made grabby hands at him, wanting him to come closer.

He smiled and scooted towards her, reaching out his arm to wrap her into a hug.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bitch the past 2 days, Huckleberry. You didn't deserve it. I know it's not an excuse, but hurting my foot really messed with my attitude and I didn't know how to process the events that happened before I fell and all of that has combined to make a pretty grumpy Maya and I feel kinda bad about it. Especially because it was enough for your family to notice something was off with us." Maya let out all the stuff that had been eating at her for the past two days, speaking into his shoulder and clutching him tightly.

Once Lucas was sure she was done, he pulled back from the hug. He looked her in the eyes, making sure she was watching him. "You don't have to be sorry, Maya. I know you weren't actually irritated with me. I hate that you got hurt, but I hope it's not completely ruining the trip for you. But, now that you brought it up, I do think we should talk about the other elephant in the room…"

Lucas trailed off knowing Maya knew what he was talking about. She sighed and ran her hand over her face, thinking. She knew it was coming, but that didn't make her any less scared.

"So…we had a moment…and it wasn't in front of your family…were we still acting or did it actually mean something?" Maya's voice got small towards the end of the sentence, suddenly aware that she just laid it all out on the table.

Lucas' expression softened towards his best friend.

"Is that why you've been acting so weird? You thought I just did it as part of the act?"

Maya looked down at her hands. "Well, yeah, I wondered…I mean, your aunts gave you a hard time for not being affectionate with me very shortly before it happened, so a little part of me wondered if it was a result of that…" Maya trailed off, starting to feel vulnerable.

Lucas smiled and grabbed Mayas hand, lacing their fingers together and scooted himself a little closer to her so she wouldn't have to resituate her leg.

"Maya…" he spoke barely above a whisper.

Maya hesitantly met his eye, nervous for what was about to happen. She knew she was feeling differently towards him, but that shift in feelings scared her more than anything.

"I was going to wait to tell you this until after this week was over because I didn't want to put you on the spot, but pretending to be in a relationship has kind of made me realize that I really do have feelings for you...like way beyond best friendship feelings. When I kissed you, I just kinda let those feelings dictate my actions because I sort of felt like you were feeling it too in that moment." Lucas was nervous, but he wanted to finally just be honest with Maya.

Maya took in a breath, completely surprised with what he had just confessed. She thought she was completely one sided in the feelings department. However, in that moment she was feeling equal parts relief and terror.

She tried to act cool despite the fact that her heart was racing and her head was spinning with this new information. She spoke in a loving, but mocking manner. "You're just so taken away with my fake girlfriend skills that you are starting to think you really love me?"

Lucas smirked at her. "Maya, can you be serious for like 2 seconds please?"

Maya's face softened and she looked up at Lucas, meeting his eyes and knowing she couldn't push him away like she wanted to in that moment. "I'm scared…."

Lucas started playing with Maya's hair, knowing that it always calms her down. "We don't have to do anything about it. We can keep going on as friends, if that's what you want. I need you to know that I like you….I like you a lot, but if friendship is all you can give me, that is enough."

Maya thought about it for a second, realizing that he is one of the few people in her life that has never let her down. Despite her instinct to run, she kind of wanted to stay.

"Well, Huckleberry. You're not exactly alone in those feelings. I think I've liked you for a long time, I just didn't realize it until we got to act like a couple. That, and I never really let myself think of you in that way. I just don't want something bad to happen- you're too important to me."

Lucas stopped stroking her hair and placed his hand on her shoulder, tracing comforting circles with his thumb. "Maya, nothing has to change if you don't want it to. You're important to me too. I think that we could be really good together, though. Hell, we kind of already are."

Maya grinned and looked up at him, "yeah, we kind of are, aren't we?"

They got caught in each other's eyes and Lucas started leaning forward, pausing as if waiting for permission. When Maya pulled him down towards her, he wasted no time crashing his lips into hers. He had been wanting to do this again for two days.

Somehow in the course of several minutes, Lucas ended up on top of Maya and things were getting a little heated between them. They pulled away, breathing heavily and in a bit of a daze.

Lucas pulled Maya closer to him so that their chests were almost touching, draped his arm over her waist and kissed her on the forehead. "Can you believe we could have been doing that for ages now, but we were too scared to admit that we wanted to?"

Maya laughed and lightly hit him on the shoulder. "Hey Lucas, can you be serious for 2 seconds?" She smirked as she repeated his words from earlier.

He rolled his eyes and smirked back at her. "I like you a lot, Shortstack."

Maya's stomach dropped in a good way when she heard him say that. She didn't think she would ever get used to that feeling. She was tempted to make a joke in that situation, but she held back, knowing now wasn't the time.

"I like you too. A lot, a lot. And I really am glad this happened, but can you please just cuddle me so we can watch this movie?"

Lucas smiled and breathed out a laugh, knowing Maya could only take so much change at once. He quickly pecked her on the lips and told her to get situated however she wanted. Maya took that opportunity to get comfortable and choose a movie. Once she was situated, Lucas positioned himself behind her and draped his arm over her waist, feeling that familiar stirring feeling in his stomach when he felt her small hand reach up and lace her fingers through his.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: SO sorry for the delay...I had a hard time with this and then I wanted to make it extra long to make up for the wait...I hope you like it! Please review and let me know what you think! :)

_

It had been several days since Lucas and Maya had the chat that let them know they were in the same place emotionally. Things were a lot less tense between the two of them, and the whole family felt a sense of relief. Despite the conversation, Maya was still a little uncertain about what would happen once their trip to Texas was over.

It was the day of Grandma Mabel's party and everyone was scrambling around and trying to get everything set up. Maya, unable to do any of the heavy lifting due to her ankle, was on kitchen duty with Lucas' mom setting out the foods that had been prepared the night before and making sure everything looked nice.

"It seems like you and Lucas worked out whatever little issue you guys were having the other day." Mrs. Friar simply just smiled, but Maya knew she was trying to get inside information.

Maya smiled and said, "yeah, things have been pretty good with us." She wanted to continue and gush, she really did. It's not that she didn't feel comfortable with his mom, but she also kind of wanted to keep this as their little secret a bit longer.

"I think things just got a little tense because acting like your best friend is your significant other has been a little more emotionally challenging than we expected it to be. But we talked it out and I think we are okay now."

Mrs. Friar had a feeling she wasn't getting the whole story, but she knew better than to pry. Especially when it came to Maya. She knew they would come to her with the rest of the story when they felt comfortable doing so.

"That's so great, sweetie. I can't tell you how much this means to our whole family that you're helping us with this. Lucas may not tell you the full extent of it, but you're the favorite honorary grandchild around here. You're making Grandma Mabel's birthday so special."

Maya could feel her eyes tearing up a little bit and she crossed over to give Mrs. Friar a hug.

"You know you guys are like a second family to me. Thank you for letting me be a part of this."

Lucas walked into the kitchen to see his mom and Maya hugging and immediately smiled to himself. He knew that Maya wasn't ready to tell anyone that they were finally admitting they had feelings for each other, so he wasn't sure what exactly was going on.

"Hey Shortstack, did you need any more proof that you're the favorite child around here?"

Maya looked up and smiled at Lucas and his mom broke their hug and swatted at her son.

"Oh, hush Luke! You are both basically royalty in this house. We are just about done in here. Why don't you and Maya go upstairs and get ready for the party?"

Lucas grabbed Maya's hand and spun her around, making her giggle. He intertwined their fingers and led her towards the staircase so they could go upstairs and get ready.

"Ready to put on a show?"

Maya stopped in her tracks on the stairs, and felt her stomach drop. She instantly wondered if her fears about this relationship lasting beyond the trip to Texas was actually warranted.

"Whoa there, Hopalong.. I thought this wasn't pretend anymore."

Lucas squeezed her hand and raised his eyebrows. "I wasn't talking about the party, babe."

Maya's eyes widened with realization and she hit Lucas on the chest with her free hand.

"I cannot believe you just said that when your mom is in the next room! Also that is so not happening with your entire family in the house." Maya looked down at their intertwined hands suddenly feeling insecure, "Also, we haven't really even talked about that yet, so…."

Lucas smiled at how uncomfortable Maya was getting because she normally was the one to taunt him. He could rarely get to her, so he was excited that he hit a nerve.

"Maya, look at me."

Maya reluctantly met his gaze.

"I was joking. You love messing with me, so I thought I would give it a shot. Not gonna lie, I liked it."

Maya rolled her eyes and continued walking to their shared guest room.

"We all have our things, Huckleberry. You're not stealing mine."

Lucas smiled fondly and led them the rest of the way to the guest room and shut the door. As soon as it was closed, he immediately pulled Maya into him, meeting her gaze to try and gauge what she was thinking. Since their talk and movie night, they had been more affectionate towards one another but they hadn't really discussed their feelings further or fully defined their relationship.

Maya's breath hitched as he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

"What are you thinking about. Shortstack?"

Maya smirked up at Lucas and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her and bringing their lips together. It didn't take long for Lucas to reciprocate, pulling her as close to him as possible and deepening the kiss. Maya couldn't help but notice the large number of butterflies in her stomach, as if every nerve in her body was firing in that moment.

After a couple minutes, Maya pulled away resting their foreheads together and smiling before disentangling herself from Lucas, grabbing her clothes from the closet and making her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the party without another word.

Lucas was left standing in the middle of the room in a daze, replaying what just happened over and over in his mind. After several minutes he remembered that he's supposed to be getting ready for the party and forced himself to shake it off for the time being.

The party was well underway, and everything was great except for Lucas' old neighbor, Kate, who had spent nearly the entire time flirting mercilessly with Lucas, even though Maya was standing right there.

Lucas, being the southern gentleman that he was, seemed entirely oblivious that this girl was being way beyond friendly with him. Maya knew he would never deliberately flirt with someone else in front of her, but she had seen about all she could take of their reminiscing for the time being. She knew she was overflowing with jealousy, and she knew that it was ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. She snuck off, doubting the two of them would even notice her absence and went to find his mom. She always knew how to make Maya feel better.

Mrs. Friar was in the kitchen refilling one of the plates of appetizers, but immediately stopped when she noticed Maya walking into the kitchen looking glum.  
"What's the matter sweet pea?"

Maya looked up, debating whether or not to tell mama Friar the truth. Knowing she would see right through any attempt of a lie, Maya decided to just tell her.

"I just needed a break from Lucas and Kate reminiscing about the good 'ole days on the farm…." She debated adding more about Kate's incessant giggling or the way she kept touching Lucas' arm or even the fondness she saw in Lucas' eyes as they talked, but she decided against it, largely just to not spend another second thinking about it.

Mrs. Friar nodded knowingly. "Maya Papaya, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were jealous…"

Maya's eyes widened and she started to open her mouth to defend herself when she noticed Mrs. Friar putting her hand up as if to stop her.

"Maya, you have nothing to worry about with Kate. She has always been known as the flirt around town. You know Lucas and his inability to be anything but kind to people unless they give him a reason not to be. He looks at you like you hung the moon, if he knew you were uncomfortable, he wouldn't still be in there talking to her."

The corners of Maya's mouth turned up at that last part and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She could feel her cheeks heating up at the implication that Mrs. Friar knew Lucas and Maya had real feelings for each other.

Mrs. Friar walked towards Maya and pulled her into a hug.

"You have nothing to worry about, sweet girl. Go back in there and show Kate who's boss."

Maya giggled and thanked Mrs. Friar, pulling away from the hug. She smoothed down her velvet dress and headed back into the living room with newfound confidence.

She spotted Lucas and Kate right where she left them, and prided herself in the fact that Lucas was now looking extremely bored. She strode over to them, immediately grabbing Lucas' hand and guiding it around her waist. She snuggled into his side and smiled up at him.

He placed a kiss on top of her head as if it was the most normal thing in the world and used the arm around her waist to pull her closer to him. Kate was still talking away, but all Lucas could focus on was the blonde snuggled against him and holding onto his hand for dear life. He smiled to himself, realizing that she might have been a little jealous of Kate.

Maya continued to stay close to Lucas and holding his hand for the entirety of Kate's story, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as it dragged on and on. She felt silly for feeling so possessive of Lucas since they weren't even technically dating, but it took her long enough to acknowledge that she had anything past platonic feelings for him, she couldn't bear to let anything to get in the way of it now that they were both ready to see where this could go.

After what seemed like forever, Kate finished her story and insisted that she and Lucas needed to get together for more reminiscing before he returns to New York. Maya made the effort to wear an expression of indifference, but she knew it was probably more of a grimace.

When Kate walked away, Lucas took his hand that was still being held onto by Maya and spun her around to face him. He grabbed her other hand and smiled down at her.

"Shortstack, you left me hanging there for a second. I was scared you weren't going to come back for me."

Maya rolled her eyes at him and squeezed his hands.

"Well I was afraid you were about to ditch me for Miss Texas 2020 over there…."

She smirked up at him with a shit eating grin, hoping he knew she was just messing with him.

He looked down at her, concerned. "Please tell me you're joking right now."

Maya bit her lip and pulled him towards her to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. "You know I am. Let's go find Grandma Mabel and get some cake."

After the party was over, the family members staying at the Friar estate were all changed into their pajamas and gathered in the living room to wind down from the party. Maya had her head resting on Lucas' shoulder and she was seconds from being lulled to sleep, further aided by Lucas running his fingers through her hair. Mrs. Friar looked over just as Maya gave in to her droopy eyelids and smiled at the couple.

"Luke, it looks like we wore out your girl. Why don't you take her upstairs and you guys can call it a night."

It was only 9pm, but Lucas thought some alone time might do him and Maya some good. He carefully pulled his arm out from behind Maya, making sure she didn't slump over without his support. Once he was free, he crouched in front of her spot on the couch and said, "Alright, Shortstack, let's go."

Without even opening her eyes, Maya leaned forward and lifted her arms up to wrap around Lucas' neck. In one swift movement, he stood up and had Maya securely on his back and she rested her head on his shoulder.

His family watched in awe as they moved so in sync without saying a word. Lucas shrugged at his mom as Maya groggily muttered "giddy up, Huckleberry."

Knowing better than to ignore Maya's commands, Lucas headed towards the stairs and waved goodnight to his family.

Once they made it upstairs, Lucas carefully deposited Maya on the bed, as he had done many times before. This was kind of their routine. Maya rolled to her side so that she was facing Lucas in the center of the room and sighed.

"Sorry I hardly lasted longer than Grandma Mabel tonight. Having to limp everywhere makes me so tired. I also may have wanted to spend some time with you that didn't include answering 500 questions about our fake relationship. I'm happy to do it, but if I have to tell the story about you saving me when I got hurt the other day one more time I might explode."

Lucas chuckled and climbed in the bed next to Maya, leaving his arm up so she could snuggle up against him like she always did.

After Maya got situated, Lucas began running his fingers through Maya's hair, just the way she liked.

"You know, when I asked you to be my fake girlfriend, I didn't expect it to turn out like this at all."

Maya looked up at him, scrunching her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I honestly didn't think we would ever stop messing around. I kind of thought we would force ourselves to be platonic forever…..and I mean, that would have been okay. I'd rather have you as a friend than nothing at all. But I like this better."

Maya hid her face in his chest so he wouldn't see her grin. Once she recovered her composure, she playfully swatted at his shoulder. "Quit being such a sap, Huckleberry." But the way she smiled at him and clutched onto his shirt told him she felt the exact same way.

The next morning, Lucas took Maya to their favorite brunch spot since their week in Texas was coming to a close.

"Do you think we should tell Mama about us when we head back home tomorrow?"

Maya continued to stir her coffee, while thinking about what he just asked. While she continued to stir, she saw Lucas' phone light up with a text that just happened to be from Kate. Her stomach dropped, but she told herself to get a grip. He told her she had nothing to worry about and she needed to trust him.

Lucas noticed a frown settle over her features briefly while she mindlessly stirred her coffee. He looked down and saw that his phone had a new message and once he saw who sent it, he knew that was likely the cause of her frown.

Kate was still insistent on getting together before he left town, and Lucas being the people pleaser he was didn't want to be rude and decline the offer. He hadn't replied to her message about it last night because he was spending time with Maya, but it looked like she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Maya finally started to speak, her voice sounding a little strained.

"I know your mom would be nothing but happy if we were to tell her about us, but at the same time the second we tell someone else it isn't just ours anymore. Which is okay. But I have kind of liked having this be a little secret between us. Nobody can do anything to screw it up for us if nobody knows. But on the other hand, once we are back, we will have to be more careful about PDA since we had an excuse with the fake dating…..Why is this so hard?"

Maya rested her head in her hands trying to think about this while simultaneously blocking out the text Lucas received right before this conversation. When she looked up, he was looking at his phone.

"Not to change the subject, but Kate wants us to come over this afternoon. We can totally say no. We are only here one more day and I can say that we have a jam packed schedule, it's not a problem."

Maya sighed, on one hand she definitely wanted to take that out, but on the other hand she would feel guilty about it and it was no secret that she liked having the upper hand in most situations.

"That's okay, Huckleberry. If you want to go, we can."

Lucas studied Maya's face, but found nothing but sincerity. This made that familiar dropping feeling in his stomach happen.

He could easily take advantage of her generosity and say that they would go, but seeing her be willing to participate in something she wasn't entirely comfortable with made his chest swell with something like love. He reached out for her hand and kissed the back of it and smirked down at her.

"You know what? I have a better idea."

An hour later, after driving through an area of town Maya wasn't familiar with, Lucas pulled onto a dirt road that led into a wooded area. He would have normally parked at the edge of the trees and hiked the rest of the way, but with Maya's ankle he opted to drive to the spot he had in mind. Several minutes later they came to a clearing that had a really pretty pond complete with a waterfall and plenty of big rocks around the water to sit on.

Lucas looked over at Maya once he parked the car and saw her eyes fill with wonder at the scene around them. Because of her ankle and the uneven terrain at Pappy Joe's farm, Maya had mostly been stuck doing indoor activities or sitting on the porch swing since she hurt her ankle. Lucas felt terrible about that since her favorite things to do in Texas mostly involved being outside. He knew this spot was pretty accessible with the help of the dirt road and thought she might like it, especially since her ankle was feeling a lot better and she was getting around more easily.

"Huckleberry, what is this place? It's beautiful!"

Lucas smiled and unbuckled his seatbelt. "Grandma Mabel used to bring me and my cousins here when we were younger. I actually haven't been back in a while, but I felt bad that you had to spend a lot of this week inside. I hope that's okay."

Lucas came around and opened Maya's door like the Huckleberry he was and she smiled at him and felt that newly familiar drop in her stomach that she seemed to only feel around Lucas.

When he reached out his hand to help her out of the car, she pulled him towards her and connected their lips together in a chaste kiss and squeezed his hands.

She smiled at him. "Of course this is okay. The only thing that could possibly make it better is if I had brought my sketch book. It's so pretty here."

Lucas smiled and opened the back door of the car, pulling her sketchbook and pencil bag from the backseat. "I had a feeling you would say that."

Maya squealed and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thanks, Hopalong."

The next few hours were spent sketching, observing, relaxing and kissing. There had been a comfortable silence for a little bit, Maya laying her head in Lucas' lap while he put random flowers that he found into her hair.

"I've been thinking about what you asked me earlier, about telling your mom and possibly other people about us. But first I think we need to figure out what we are."

Lucas realized that Maya had a point- despite their increased level of affection, they never really discussed labels or defined what they were. He also knew that Maya was a little more skittish when it came to that stuff and he didn't want to push her in a direction that would make her uncomfortable.

"You have a point there, babe. What do you want us to be? I want to call you my girlfriend, but I don't want you to feel like we have to define this yet if you aren't comfortable. A week ago we had never acknowledged that there was a potential for anything here. I don't want you to feel like it's too much too fast."

Maya sat there taking in what he said, and was also largely distracted by the fact that he called her babe. She liked it. Normally talking about defining a relationship was something Maya would avoid like the plague, but this was Lucas. They had achieved a level of intimacy that she had never felt with anyone thanks to their years of best friendship. This didn't feel scary.

"I-I think…No. I know that I want to be your girlfriend." She noted the elated smile on his face and smiled back. "But I am kindly warning you not to hurt me. I don't think that would go well for you. I kind of have your entire family wrapped around my finger."

Lucas grinned down at her as she began to sit up. "I give you full permission to do whatever you want to me if I'm ever stupid enough to hurt you."

Maya smiled, satisfied, and turned herself so that she was facing Lucas.

"Thanks, boyfriend."

She looked so beautiful in that moment, he didn't think it was possible for someone to be so perfect. He had to kiss her. Leaning forward, he cupped his hands around her jaw, letting his fingers roam through her hair as he brought their faces closer and closer together until electricity was made when their lips finally touched. This kiss was different than the ones they had shared throughout the week. This one was certain, and it was full of passion, but most importantly it was filled with faith and trust. It felt like a new beginning.


	5. Chapter 5

School was finally almost out for Christmas break and Lucas was set on taking Maya on a proper date after he finished his last final. Lately, most of their hang outs had consisted of sitting together while doing homework and falling asleep tangled together while trying to catch up on everything they had missed in the moments they didn't get to spend together.

Things had been going really well with them since they returned home from Texas. Lucas' mom was the first to find out that the couple hadn't only been acting the entire trip. She was ecstatic that they finally realized their feelings, but she wasn't surprised. They later found out her excitement wasn't solely as a result their happiness, but she had won a bet she made with Maya's mom the previous summer that they would admit their feelings for each other before the year was over. Upon hearing this Maya laced her fingers with Lucas' and rolled her eyes while he looked at her fondly. "Can you _believe_ we have to put up with them?"

Despite being stuck in the friend zone for the entirety of their friendship, adjusting to being a couple took no time at all for Maya and Lucas. They spend every free moment together, much like they did before, but now there are a few new exciting things they can do to occupy that time. Oh yeah, they're _that_ couple. The one who had no qualms about a quick make out session in the park, or leaving a night out with friends early because they just _couldn't wait_ any longer. They'd spent too much time dancing around their feelings in the past, it's almost as if they were making up for that lost time.

Maya was rushing around her apartment and growing increasingly frustrated with herself for being such a slob over the past week. Between finals, her art and her new internship at a nearby art studio, she hardly had any spare time left over to clean up. Largely that is because every spare minute she had was being spent with a certain Huckleberry. Truthfully, she had hardly even been to her apartment except to shower and gather the stuff she needed for class and work each day.

She could feel her phone vibrating in her bag and she knew she was running late for work. She gathered her overnight essentials, makeup, her favorite black dress and heeled booties for their date night and placed them into her bag as gingerly as she could manage while still moving quickly. With that, she glanced around her room one last time to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything else and rushed out the door, making sure to lock it on her way out.

Lucas knew he wanted to make this particular date night extra special. Sure, they spend a lot of time together, but he was determined to show Maya that he considers their relationship a priority and that she deserves more than homework dates and take out to be the norm. Sure, those things were great in their own ways, being together in any capacity was enough for them, but he had a little motivation to make this date night especially nice. Lucas and Maya have only been dating for a little over two months, but due to their extremely close relationship beforehand, they've moved pretty quickly. Long story short, he's ready to tell her he loves her.

If you would have told Lucas the previous summer that by Christmas he would not only be dating Maya, but he would be completely, unfathomably in love with her he probably would have thought you were insane. But he couldn't help but smile to himself when he thinks about how seamlessly they had evolved from being only best friends to being best friends who happen to love each other more than they knew was possible. Well, at least he could say that. Neither of them had said those 3 words to each other yet, which is exactly what Lucas had intended to correct tonight. Normally he would be worried about those feelings being reciprocated, but he knew that even if Maya wasn't ready to say it back, he needed her to know how he was feeling.

Once his final was finished, Lucas rushed home to get everything ready for their big night, being sure to text Maya on his way even though he knew she wouldn't see it until her shift was over. He had a reservation set at Maya's favorite French restaurant, and after that he had plans for a night in one of his famous blanket filled with lots of cuddling and _more_. He started gathering the pillows and blankets he would use to make the fort and hoped Maya would be as stoked about it as he was.

This particular shift at work seemed to completely drag on. Maya loved her internship, she really did. She was fortunate enough to be interning for the curator of one of her favorite galleries in the city. She was learning so much and making great contacts. But today all she could really think about was her Huckleberry boyfriend who she hasn't seen since the morning before. Sure, that wasn't _that_ long ago, and she prides herself on being independent, but with the stress surrounding finals finally being gone all she wanted to do is curl up with him and be lazy and reconnect.

When 5:30 finally rolled around, Maya quickly gathered her things and went to the staff room to get ready for their date. She couldn't help but notice the butterflies starting to gather in her stomach. She smiled to herself, thankful that this aspect of their relationship hadn't changed one bit since they made it official. Once she put the final touches on her makeup, she checked her phone to find 4 messages from Lucas, one from Riley and one from her mom.

She giggled to herself when she saw all of Lucas' messages laid out on her screen.

From: My favorite Cowboy  
SHORTSTACK!

FINALS ARE FINALLY OVER! I CAN BREATHE!

Seriously though, can't wait to see you tonight, babe

I'll be at the gallery to pick you up at 6 : )

She glanced at the time, noting that it was almost 6 and Lucas would be there any minute. She gathered her things and made her way to the front of the gallery to wait for him. As soon as she reached the front desk, the door opened and her favorite blonde boy walked in.

Maya squealed, "Huckleberry!" and all but jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.

He chuckled warmly, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on top of her head. "Hey babe, you look beautiful."

Maya, who was still clutching to him as if her life depended on it, loosened her grip enough to lift onto her tiptoes and give him a quick peck on the lips and smirk at him. "You look pretty good yourself, Luke. I missed you. As much as I love this sappy stuff, and I _really, really_ do, I'm starving and you promised me bread!" She grabbed his hand while he watched on, amused. "Let's get a move on, Cowboy."

After a dinner filled with stolen kisses (and _lots_ of bread), Lucas and Maya made their way back to his dorm hand in hand. Lucas was trying to act completely normal despite being nervous for phase 2 of their date night, but he seemed to be forgetting that Maya knew him too well for that. She knew his tighter than usual grip on her hand and the way he kept glancing at her while they walked weren't just coincidental. He was up to something; she just didn't know _what_.

When they reached his apartment, he fumbled with his keys until Maya finally took them out of his hand and unlocked the door for him, glancing over at him with a puzzled look on her face. "What is up with you, Huckleberry?" Her look turned seductive. "Do I need to help you relax?"

With that, she winked and entered his apartment, leaving him dazed in the hallway. The sound of her gasping drew him out of his thoughts and he followed her inside.

"Babe, what is all of this? It's so pretty." Maya's eyes were wide as she scanned the space he had set up for them, complete with twinkle lights and the coziest looking blanket fort. Her heart melted all over again seeing the effort he put into a casual night in.

Lucas came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I have my reasons. Mostly just because I love you so much."

 _Oh my god, did I really just say that out loud? Maybe she didn't notice?_ Lucas was panicking. He had the whole thing planned out in his head and this was _not_ part of that plan. It was supposed to be in the blanket fort and he was supposed to list off the reasons why he loved her while peppering kisses all over her skin. All he could do now was brace himself for how she would respond and hope for the best.

Maya turned herself around in his arms to face him. Her eyes were wide with something like love. She bit her lip and cautiously looked up at her boyfriend, who's arms were still wrapped around her.

"You love me?" she spoke quietly, hardly able to breathe in that moment.

Lucas smiled at how timid Maya was acting. "It's safe to say I don't just love you, Shortstack, I'm _in_ love with you."

Maya's breath hitched upon hearing the certainty in his voice. Lately, she's been feeling something different, something _more_ for the cowboy, but she hadn't admitted to herself exactly what that new feeling was. As someone who is still pretty cautious with her heart, she decided to just give herself time to figure out what it meant. Hearing his confession made her realize exactly what it was. She loved him right back.

Maya had the urge to tease him, because that is just who she was. But then she remembered how nervous he had been acting all night and knew he needed reassurance first.

"Well, that actually works out really well for me because I love you too, Luke." She scrunched her nose and continued, I'm so in love with you, it's actually kind of gross."

Any nervousness he felt prior to telling Maya he loved her completely evaporated as soon as she said those words. He was beaming as he pulled her closer and crashed their lips together. Maya's arms wrapped around his neck and she sighed into the kiss, never growing tired of how safe she felt with him. She couldn't help but notice the burst of those trusty butterflies erupting in her stomach as they kissed. She was _so happy_.

Once they broke apart, Maya chuckled and ran her arms down his chest. "Can you believe how eventful tonight has already been and we haven't even made it out of your entry way?!"

Lucas turned around and noticed that they were, in fact, standing right next to the still open door of his dorm. He quickly shut and locked the door, turning back around and smacking a kiss on Maya's cheek.

The corners of Maya's mouth turned into a smirk as she reached down to grab her overnight bag and lifted it up to her shoulder.

"Let's go put that fancy blanket fort to use, what do you say, Huckleberry?"

Lucas raised his eyebrows and watched his girlfriend make her way to the fort. He zoned out thinking about how Maya was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid his eyes on. He couldn't believe that asking her to be his fake girlfriend had turned into what is undoubtedly the best time of his life. He _loved_ her.

The chime of his phone drew him out of his trance, and he reached in his pocket to silence it. Upon seeing Maya's name pop up on his screen, he furrowed his brow and unlocked his phone to open her message.

From: My Shortstack  
I really do love the dreamy way you're looking at me, but pls get the fuck over here. love you :)

He looked up from his phone to find his girlfriend decked out in black lace in the middle of the fort. Once she had his attention, the corners of her mouth curled into a grin and she did her famous grabby hands to get him to hurry up. It worked.

He _really, really_ loved her and he knew he would never get tired of hearing her say it back.

A/N: thank you guys so much for bearing with me and my inconsistent updates! i'm not entirely happy with this fic as a whole, but i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. i haven't been nearly as motivated to write lately, but i am so grateful for the response the stories have gotten considering this is my first time writing in this capacity. please let me know what you think! i love reading reviews!


End file.
